Natural gas is one of the most desirable fuels, and extensive quantities of it are available from wells located around the world. In the past, natural gas was gathered from gas wells by a pipeline system and transported to a terminal facility or directly to users. More recently, methods and systems have been devised for moving large amounts of natural gas to a terminal facility by means other than pipelines, for subsequent distribution to users. Among such methods and systems are those employing liquefaction of the natural gas, such as the techniques disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,232,725 and 3,298,805, and the high pressure transport technique disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,019, the inventors of which are also inventors in this application. These newer techniques for moving natural gas from the gas well, and especially that of U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,019, have opened up large numbers of so-called shut-in wells to the recovery of natural gas, thus greatly increasing the quantity of the fuel potentially available for use.
In our U.S. patent application Ser. No. 011,683, filed Feb. 12, 1979, we disclosed a method and system for assuring the optimum recovery of natural gas from gas wells, employing the high pressure transport technique of U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,019. That invention further contributes to the availability of natural gas as a fuel.
In this time of energy shortage, efforts are being made to fully utilize all available natural gas. Given the use of pipelines, liquefied natural gas techniques, and the new high pressure transport techniques developed by the present inventors, it is now possible to recover much larger quantities of natural gas from wells than was heretofore believed possible. There now remains the problem of adequately distributing the recovered gas to potential users, so that this now more abundant energy source can be more fully utilized.
Many potential users of natural gas are located where pipeline construction is very difficult and expensive, such as in established urban areas. Other potential users are scattered in relatively small numbers across a large geographic area, and the economics required to support pipeline construction are simply not present. In the latter category of users will be found, for example, manufacturing plants, schools, hotels, and the like located in rural areas, nearly all of which could utilize natural gas for energy if it were available. The situation also exists where there are in fact a sufficient number of users located so that pipeline construction might be feasible, but where capital financing will not be made available until an adequate market is proven to exist. In these instances, pipeline construction might well occur if the market could first be established, at least in part.
Currently, many potential users of natural gas falling in the noted categories are using propane, fuel oil, electricity and coal to meet their energy needs. In many instances, the use of natural gas would be more desirable if it could be made available. Natural gas is an especially clean fuel and, in older urban areas, significant improvements in air quality can be obtained by substituting it for coal or oil. And as natural gas becomes more available for the reasons noted earlier, it can be expected that in many cases it will prove more economical than propane or electricity, for example.
The problem which must be solved is how to effectively and efficiently distribute natural gas from a supply terminal to potential users, without the building of a pipeline network. Accompanying the need to transport natural gas to consumers is the need to do so in such a manner as to maintain a continuous and trouble-free supply. It is known that interruption of natural gas service, once an installation has become reliant upon it, can be both an inconvenience and a safety hazard. Given that natural gas demand can vary significantly from hour to hour and day to day, the distribution technique must be able to meet a varying demand, and at the same time be reliable and cost efficient. The present invention provides a method and system for distributing natural gas which addresses and solves all of these problems.